


DEAD, or Inversion of Stereochemistry

by aderyn



Series: Compounds or Stars [9]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: 221b, Gen, Knowledge of chemistry: profound/use of metaphor: awkward, angst-free /actually pretty silly, despite the title no actual death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-23
Updated: 2012-02-23
Packaged: 2017-10-31 15:01:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/345463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aderyn/pseuds/aderyn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“’Dead,’ Sherlock is saying, standing over a tableful of shining glassware. ‘Dead.’”</p><p>“He’s using his hands, outlining the beautiful, gleaming Erlenmeyer.”</p><p> </p><p>A conversation about chemistry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	DEAD, or Inversion of Stereochemistry

**Author's Note:**

> An experiment(!): something different in tone. For me, anyway. Also, unlike Sherlock’s, my knowledge of chemistry is (obviously) not profound.

_“Without the movement of electrons, you don’t have any chemistry.” –Guch & Wayman, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Organic Chemistry_ 

 

“Dead,” Sherlock is saying, standing in the kitchen over a tableful of shining glassware. “Dead.”  
  
“That your new mantra?” says John, “Are you trying to scare up a murder?  Or is somebody already dead?”  
  
“Dead,“ Sherlock says.  He’s got his eyes closed, and he lifts his hands up to his face. “Otherwise known as 'dead cat.’"  
  
“Oh,” John says, changing his tone abruptly, “What did you inhale? Sit down.”

He puts a hand on Sherlock’s arm, wondering idly if they ought to evacuate the kitchen, or possibly the flat. (How can one wonder idly about these things? That’s how it is with them.) He doesn't see or smell anything, but that's not a comfort. He can name seven insensible nerve agents that could stop their hearts in minutes.

“Let me see,” John says, “Have you got something in your eyes? Because you need to...” He glances over at the distant sink.  

“DEAD,” Sherlock says, “It's toxic and volatile. Turns alcohols into aldehydes. Makes molecules undergo an inversion of stereochemistry.”

“Inversion,” says John. “Of stereochemistry.”

“It’s a reagent, John, a reagent; that’s what we need.  For click chemistry,for mimicking nature.  For creating compounds that are supposed to happen, that don’t happen …enough.”

He’s using his hands, outlining the beautiful, gleaming Erlenmeyer. “We need DEAD, only not as…”

Suddenly writerly, John says, “Baneful?”

**Author's Note:**

> DEAD or DEADCAT=Diethyl azodicarboxylate (CH3CH2O2CN=NCO2CH2CH3.) Apparently it’s a strong electron acceptor. ( :
> 
> “Click chemistry is a modular synthetic approach towards the assembly of new molecular entities by efficiently and reliably joining small units together.”—The Scripps Research Institute


End file.
